I refuse to do another "order". Everything that can go wrong does go wrong everytime I do a requested cake. When I am making cakes just to make cakes or to surprise someone, I don't have the issues(filling oozing out, icing slipping off sides, fondant cracking, forgetting a key ingredient...the list is infinite) that I have with requested cakes. The stress over whether someone is going to like it or not is overwhelming. At work, I don't care whether they like them or not because I just go by what the picture shows. If they don't like it, I just refer to the picture...I don't alter the allowed designs...at all!
i was like that when i first started doing "orders" seemed like the cake never came out of the pan, would run out of stuff, but the more you do, the less stressed you are and every thing is fine. hang in there
I know how you feel! There is a lot of stress when you know that some one is counting on you to do a good job! After my last cake, I said the same thing. But the encouragement that I got afterward was so endearing that I will probably do it again. So... don't quit, you'll only get better with each cake!
It's ok. Take a deep breath and relax. Your work looks beautiful. Remember that the cake that we see isn't the same one the customer see's.
I ain't giving up. I just don't want to do requested cakes anymore.
I've been doing this for some time now. Every time I stress out about it. Every time I find it was all for nothing. Today though, I realized that I can not handle this unnecessary stress any more. I can't help but stress out over them...
I'll just continue doing my "I made it just because..." cakes. Those are the ones I like doing best anyway.
Thanks ya'll for your support! It means a lot!
all4cake - i have the same thing happen to me too. i've had two cake orders. my first order was for four birthday cakes (2 1/2 sheets, 1 stacked, and 1 3d). ok, so i may have been over my head with four cakes but seriously, everything that could have went wrong did. i even put the wrong name on the wrong cake! and my 3d cake cracked in half! ugh....i ended up just buying the lady two cakes from my grocer. my last order was for a wedding cake and my fondant completely ripped on one of the layers so i had to peel it off and do it again. well when i peeled it off, the cake came with it!!! then the bride wanted ribbon around the base of each tier and i couldn't get the ribbon to stay. to top it all off (literally) i tried to put the topper on the top tier and the bride bought a really top heavy topper so when my dh (who was holding the topper in place) let go it fell and made a huge crack//dent in my cake!!! i cried and i told everyone that was the last cake i was ever doing!!!
all4cake--This is why I'm perfectly content to just do cakes as a hobby. Other than the expense and hassle of becoming legal, I just don't want the pressure of pleasing customers! I stress enough when I'm doing a free cake for a family member. (just ask my poor, long-suffering husband) 
Your cakes are wonderful, btw!
Thank you! You, too, have beautiful work in your gallery!
Oh gosh...I completely forgot about all the stress I in turn pass on to my DH and my kids! They are awesome! LOL ...my kids have been known to come up and stroke my earlobes and do the "woooo saaaaah" (it's supposed to reduce stress)
Do what ever makes you feel better, but you really should be more confident in your abilities. I think that's why you get so worked up over an order. ( of course I'm not a psychologist. I just know that's what MY problem is). Your cakes are fantastic!!
How bout this one:
Why don't our customers stop being so darn picky and just enjoy the artwork we gave them because it is better than anything they could have done themselves anyways. It is the customers causing the stress, not the cakes. We love cakes. I know it is their money, but it is our blood, sweat, and tears. What is money compared to that?
Cheer up and good luck in the future. 
How bout this one:
Why don't our customers stop being so darn picky and just enjoy the artwork we gave them because it is better than anything they could have done themselves anyways. It is the customers causing the stress, not the cakes. We love cakes. I know it is their money, but it is our blood, sweat, and tears. What is money compared to that?
i totally agree!!! 
my husband says that i do amazing work when its a cake of my own design and not what my customers want! lol....so my goal is to build my reputation up so much that my customers just get what i give them! 
ha ha...don't you wish!!
all4cake - i'm not giving up on cakes. i'm completely obsessed but i think that when and if i really start doing cakes for a living then i'm going to be strict about what i do and don't do so that i reduce that stress on myself with trying to do something for the first time on a cake order.
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